By the Gods the Future Can Change
by Drusilla6
Summary: Set after the season finale which turns out to have been a dream of the future provided by Ares. Ares comes to Gabrielle to bargain for Xena & her life.
1. The Meeting

Gabrielle shot up from her sleeping position, sitting up straight and breathing heavily. She could still feel the breeze of the wind on her cheek and the soft spray of the ocean coming over the side of the boat. Only all that had simply been a dream, she thought trying to sort out what reality was. It had all seemed so real, how could it have just been a dream she wondered. She could remember seeing Xena's dead body and how empty and hollow she felt. Without Xena she had felt like a part of her was missing. Even though at the end she had felt she had done the right thing she still had a gaping hole inside. She had searched for years in her tiny little town and she had been all over the known world. Gabrielle knew only Xena could fill that hole... her thoughts abruptly died off interrupted by a new thought.  
  
Xena, where was she? Gabrielle looked around the now dead fire looking for the sign of her best friend. All she saw was a cover and some leaves Xena had used as a bed. Then she saw some boots suddenly appear next to a tree and filling out the boots leaning against the tree was Ares.  
  
"Ares!" Gabrielle yelled in outrage as she jumped up ready to confront him. "I should have known it was you. Another wacky little dream sent by your pal Morpheus?" She asked as she snapped fully awake.  
  
Ares smirked back at her looking amused, "Quick thinking there Gabby." He said disdainfully, he never even tried to hide his dislike for her. "But..." he paused and shook his finger and a loud buzzer noise was heard. Gabrielle took a step back and blinked, her hands flying up to her ears trying to block the irritating noise. "Wrong." Ares grinned pleased himself. He coughed and cleared his throat as he moved closer to Gabrielle who subconsciously backed up. He started off with his explanation in a loud story telling voice, "What you've just been given is a glimpse—"  
  
"A glimpse?" Gabrielle said skeptically as she cut off Ares in midsentence. "What kind of glimpse Ares? What exactly was that a glimpse of?" she said using the word glimpse more times then necessary.  
  
Ares glared back at her annoyed at being interrupted especially by Gabrielle. "Well if you would just LISTEN and not INTERRUPT then you would find out, wouldn't you?" Ares asked giving her a nasty look. Gabrielle gave a weak little smile and nodded and gestured for him to get on with his little story. "Now as I was saying..." Ares said faking a little smile and looking at Gabrielle waiting for her to interrupt. Gabrielle just stared back at him waiting for Ares to go on. "Yeah so you've been given a glimpse. Courtesy of me I might add." He inserted a pause in his story for Gabrielle to thank him she gave him a look that was a cross between boredom and disgust. "It's of your future." He continued on pretending not to notice her look. "Yours and Xena's, well what little future she has left. Just a little sneak peek into the future as you'll soon know it."  
  
Gabrielle stared at him thoughtfully and started to take a step toward Ares then thought better of it and stayed put. "And how exactly do you know this will happen?" She asks him curiously. Ares opens his mouth to answer but Gabrielle continues on. "It's just a possibility right? Or some little scheme you have cooked up to scare me off. Well that's not gonna work Ares. That's it right some stupid little plot?" Gabrielle asked again as she started pacing back and forth in front of Ares. He opened his mouth once again to answer but again Gabrielle kept talking. "It has to be, what else can it be. Didn't know you could make up little dreams. Neat little power you just learned? Because I know for a fact that Zeus forbid any of the gods to time travel. No messing with the future, or the past. And that dream, was definitely about the future." Ares yelled in frustration and let loose a fiery blast that shot past Gabrielle and incinerated a tree a few feet behind her.  
  
"Will you SHUT IT?" Ares screamed out at Gabrielle his face turning red in anger. Gabrielle stared back in shock and nodded mutely a little afraid to talk. She could stand up to Ares but felt safer when Xena was around just in case. "You're right there Gabrielle dear old Dad..." Ares glances up at the sky ruefully. "Refuses to let us gods mess about with what was or what will be. Claims there would be too much confusion... or something." Ares dismissed Zeus' decision with a wave of his hand. "There's this thing called an Oracle, can you say Oracle?" Ares asked Gabrielle treating her like a child. She glared back with a 'duh' look upon her face but before she could talk Ares pressed on. "I'm just gonna take a guess here and say you can. Well knowing Dad's rule and all I was just a little curious about what lay ahead for my good friend Xena." Gabrielle rolled her eyes at the 'friend' bit. "I saw that." Ares said stomping over to her.  
  
"Saw what?" Gabrielle asked blinking and smiling trying to look the perfect picture of innocence. "There was nothing to see."  
  
"The eye rolling, I saw that." Ares growled as he looked down at Gabrielle.  
  
"Can you just continue with your little story Ares? I'm sure Xena will be back any minute... from wherever it is she went." Gabrielle said lamely.  
  
"Fishing, for breakfast." Ares said supplying the information. Gabrielle looked at Ares questioningly wondering how he knew. "I had to stay around and wait for you to wake up and be alone." Ares told her. "So to continue with my 'little story' zapped myself over to Delphi and had a little meeting with the Oracle. Amazing how fast they let you to the front of the line when you're a God."  
  
"Delphi? I thought the Oracle there quit."  
  
This time it was Ares turn to roll his eyes, "There's plenty of Oracles Gabby. Just waiting for their turn to be at the top. What do you think happens when one dies? They're not Gods, they're not immortal."  
  
"Ok I get it Ares, there's a new Oracle. And the big all powerful Oracle told you all the stuff that was in my dream." Gabrielle said finishing up Ares story much to his annoyance.  
  
"Yeah you got it." Ares said as he sat down on a small boulder. "So with that information give you that dream to test it out and see how the future looked and felt. I'm betting not too good without Xena around to keep you out of trouble."  
  
"In case you forgot Ares, I can handle myself pretty well now. It was enough to catch your attention wasn't it?" Gabrielle asks raising an eyebrow and glancing down at the sais attached to her boots.  
  
Ares grimaced remembering the one time he had actually had a little respect for Gabrielle and was thinking of making her Xena's replacement, her heir. "Everyone has their off days." He said shrugging and standing up trying to look more intimidating.  
  
"So why'd you do it Ares? What was the point of giving me that dream and showing me my future?" Gabrielle asked her tone less harsh then usual with Ares.  
  
"Well I'm working on this little theory." Ares looked at Gabrielle making sure she was paying attention she looked at him waiting to hear. "My theory is that if you know what the future will bring then you can change it."  
  
"That's pretty interesting." Gabrielle mused interrupting yet again. "I mean if you think about it that might really work. Like if you're going down a path and there's a fork in the road. And you know that if you go down the left path then a band of thieves will murder you but if you go down the right then you'll be perfectly fine." Gabrielle smiled at Ares amazed that he came up with something like that.  
  
"Well actually it's just a little something I heard about from my no good brother Hercules." Ares says spitting out his brother's name as if it were poison. "But anyway you get the point. Now that you've seen the future you have a chance at making it not happen. It was a glimpse of what might be, doesn't have to be. Choice is yours Gabrielle, Xena's life is in your hands."  
  
"Why show me? You could have shown Xena, this isn't my choice to make. It's her life; she should choose which path to take. Not me, it's not fair to either of us Ares." Gabrielle said gritting her teeth, hating the position Ares put her in.  
  
"Oh come on Gabrielle. We both know what Xena would pick. Into the whole selfless redemption thing." Ares shook his head, "Don't get it. I don't even pretend to get it but I know that's Xena." Ares voice softens when he mentions Xena's name. "And you're supposed to be her side kick so you should have her best interest at heart. Just like I do."  
  
"I don't want Xena to die. But all those souls, I can't just let them stay in captive. If Xena knew she'd blame herself." Gabrielle sighed and sat down on the rock that Ares had vacated. "There's go to be some way to save them without losing Xena. I just, don't know what it is." Gabrielle's voice for once was lacking it's usual optimism and hopefulness. Ares just looked at Gabrielle and gave out a little sigh and gave her a mock look of sympathy, pretending to be all upset. For the second time since the beginning of her conversation with Ares she started getting suspicious. Unlike Xena she knew that Ares really cared about Xena, and if she were going to die he'd be deeply upset by it. In fact he'd do just about anything to stop it from happening, so why was he wasting his time with her saying Xena's fate was up to her. Gabrielle didn't buy it. She slowly stood up and peered into Ares eyes who stared back unabashedly as she crossed his arms thinking it was a stare down. "What's in it for you Ares?"  
  
Ares slowly grinned then lifted his face toward the sky in a crazed laugh. Then he faced down at her again with an amused look on his face trying to pass for a serious look, "Why Gabrielle whatever do you mean? You surely don't think I, Ares god of war have a trick up my sleeve?"  
  
"I'm tired of these games Ares, just tell me what you want."  
  
Ares expression turned deadly serious, "You know what I want."  
  
Gabrielle nodded an equally serious expression on her own face, "Xena." Ares nodded back in agreement. "She won't go with you, especially without an explanation. And all those souls... it's not going to happen. You think I can just let them stay captive? I follow Xena's example, I would do just the same thing as she would... as she will." She says quietly.  
  
"Hello? Anyone home?" Ares asked in a near shout, "God here, I have all these powers at my finger tips..." He shoots out another fireball and blasts a tree to give Gabrielle an example of his power. "I could get them set free, would have to call in a few favors but I could do it."  
  
"You could do it..." Gabrielle says breathlessly wondering why Xena hadn't asked Ares for help in the future, if that was there future. Gabrielle wasn't sure anymore Ares had a point, the souls could be saved and so could Xena it was simple. But it meant losing Xena to Ares. Gabrielle's eyes locked on Ares trying to make a decision.  
  
"What's going on here?" A loud feminine voice inquired suddenly. Gabrielle turned around in surprise Xena had snuck up on them. Well on her, at glance at Ares showed that he had sensed her coming. "Ares..." Xena said looking over at him, she didn't seem to be surprised by his presence she had sensed him also. "Catch." Xena said simply and threw him an armful of fish she had caught. Ares scrambled to catch the dozens of fish but managed to do it with one hitting him squarely in the face. Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other and cracked up with laughter.  
  
"Yeah very cute, very funny." Ares growled and dumped the fish onto a rock.  
  
"So what are you doing here Ares?" Xena asked crossing her arms and looking very commanding. Ares and Gabrielle exchanged a look that worried Xena. "Someone gonna tell me?" 


	2. The Plan

"Well uh Xena..." Gabrielle started then looked at Ares again and smiled. "Ares and I were just about to go collect some firewood. For breakfast and all." She said with a bright grin hoping Xena would believe her.  
  
Xena looked at Gabrielle knowing more then one thing wasn't quite right. For one thing Gabrielle & Ares hated each other now they were getting on like they were best friends. For another, "Ares collecting firewood?" she asked doubtfully looking at Ares who shrugged then nodded. "If you say so." She found it best not to argue with Gabrielle, it took too long and there wasn't usually a clear winner anyway, it was just pointless. Better to just like Gabrielle do whatever she had to do with Ares and then yell at her about it later, it would work out that way anyway. "I'll just start preparing the fish." Xena said walking over to her bag and pulling out the knife. She walked past Ares holding up the knife in front of her and paused in front of him, "See you later Ares." She smirked as he noticeably gulped. She continued on to the fish and started gutting them.  
  
Ares stares at Xena making Gabrielle roll her eyes and pull on his wrist, "Come on!" she snapped. Gabrielle turned around and walked deeper in the forest not bothering to wait for Ares.  
  
Ares sighed and walked along behind Gabrielle wondering why she had such an attitude. "Collecting firewood?" Ares asks raising an eyebrow at Gabrielle as soon as he caught up with her.  
  
"I couldn't think of anything better. I didn't notice you coming up with anything." Gabrielle said pointedly as she started picking up pieces of wood from the forest floor.  
  
"We're actually getting firewood? I thought that whole 'collecting firewood' thing was just an excuse." Ares said looking at the wood in Gabrielle's arm distastefully. "I could just zap a tree."  
  
"That's not how you collect firewood! Can't you do anything normal?" Gabrielle asked Ares. He sighed and bent down and picked up a piece of wood and held it up to Gabrielle like he should get a medal. "It's not like I want to be here with you either."  
  
"Then it wasn't a ploy to get me alone." Ares said grinning sardonically. Gabrielle glared and shoved the wood she had collected into his gut; he bent over with a loud 'oof'.  
  
Gabrielle snickered at Ares who in turn gave her a look that if looks could kill... well actually since he was Ares his looks could kill. "We have to finish talking about Xena. We can't exactly do that with her around." Gabrielle sighed and faced Ares, all traces of humor gone from her face. "I want you to save Xena." Gabrielle said softly. The fates didn't get to decide everything, she could decide for once.  
  
"I can do that, and you'll give me what I want?"  
  
"Ares! You can't just expect Xena to run off with you if I say so. She would know something was going on. And I'm not just going to disappear from her life. The two of us belong together, she wouldn't leave me." Gabrielle told Ares, having a bit of a stare off with him.  
  
"She would leave you for a few days. She's done it before. You're the big story teller right? Just make up a little story about you having to leave for a little while and having to stay with me. You can do that can't you?"  
  
"Bard." Gabrielle responded.  
  
"Bird? What? Where?" Ares asked, as he looked around in confusion.  
  
"I'm a b-ard, bard. Not a story teller. There's a difference." She insisted.  
  
"Whatever, I don't really care about your little scrolls. Especially from what I've seen written about me. Are you gonna tell Xena she has to stay with me for a week?"  
  
"Three days." Gabrielle countered.  
  
"Six." Ares said stepping closer and trying to look intimidating again.  
  
"Four." Gabrielle said crossing her arms, not at all intimidated.  
  
"Five." He snarled and handed the armload of firewood back to Gabrielle who snatched it away from him.  
  
"Fine, five days. That's all you want with Xena and you'll be happy?"  
  
"It's all I need to convince her we belong together. Without her little pest of a side kick running around and interfering I should be able to get through to her."  
  
Gabrielle chose to ignore Ares little digs and insults, "We have a deal, you'll save Xena?"  
  
"Consider it done... as soon as you get Xena to agree to spend five days with me." Ares said smiling sinisterly.  
  
"Fine." Gabrielle agreed glaring daggers. "But you do know that after those five days there's no way Xena will be staying with you."  
  
"We'll see about that Gabrielle. Xena and I used to be pretty close; since you've been around haven't had much of a chance at the one on one." Ares grins and snickers a little. "With you out of the picture I'm sure that will change quite a bit. Don't worry; when we get together we'll save a nice little tower in our castle for you to sleep in." Ares grins and grabs another piece of wood. "Now are we done with this wood collecting thing?" he says boredly.  
  
Gabrielle looked at the pile in her arm and the one piece Ares held. "Good enough. Xena will be wondering what kept us so long, let's go." She sighed and turned around heading back to her and Xena's camp. Ares followed behind Gabrielle, picking up pieces of wood as he went along until his armload was almost double Gabrielle's.  
  
Xena looked up as Gabrielle and Ares entered the small clearing that had been hers and Gabrielle's camp for the night. "About time, was about to send out a search party." She said sarcastically.  
  
"Aw Xena, didn't know you cared so much." Ares grinned at her then held out the wood. "Gabrielle was being lazy; she didn't really want to collect wood so I had to do most of the job. Shame on you Gabrielle." Ares said looking over at her and shaking his head disapprovingly.  
  
"Ares!" Gabrielle gasped out, not believing he was saying that SHE was the lazy one. She dropped her wood on the ground and glared.  
  
"Yes Gabrielle?" Ares said innocently, setting his pieces of wood into what he thought would make a good looking fire.  
  
"You know very well that YOU were the one who didn't want to collect the wood!" Gabrielle said bickering.  
  
"Hey hey! Children, play nice or don't get any supper." Xena said icily annoyed at the immaturity of her best friend and a god who was centuries old. "I cleaned the fish, now that means you cook." She said smiling at Gabrielle.  
  
Gabrielle sighed and started trying to get the fire started and wasn't doing a good job of it... Ares sighed impatiently and let loose a blast that set the wood ablaze. Gabrielle jumped back, "You could have got me!" She yelled jumping up.  
  
"Oh well, maybe next time I'll be lucky." Ares grinned and Xena had to cover a little smirk knowing that Ares had excellent aim.  
  
Gabrielle saw Xena's smirk and gave her a dirty look which sent Xena flashing an innocent wide eyed look then pretending her boot was unlaced and went about trying it. Gabrielle sighed grabbing a pan out of a bag and started cooking the fish. Ares stood around bored mainly staring at Xena then he realized that the plan needed to be set in motion. He started staring at Gabrielle trying to hint to her to get going. "What?" Gabrielle asked after she looked up for the 5th time and noticed Ares was still staring at her. He made a head jerk toward Xena. "What are you doing?" Ares sighed and started doing a charades bit hoping Xena wouldn't notice. He pointed at Gabrielle then made a shooing away motion. Then pointed at Xena then himself and held up a finger from each hand and bobbled them in the air like they were walking toward each other then started pressing them against one another like they were making out. Gabrielle sighed in disgust and Ares grinned finished with his little performance.  
  
Xena looked up curiously just in time to see Ares pull his 2 fingers away from one another. "What's going on..?"  
  
"Food's done." Gabrielle smiled innocently and held up a plate of fish.  
  
"Great, I'm starved." Xena said walking over forgetting her suspicion. She grabbed the plate and started digging in. Ares started nodding to Xena again right as Gabrielle was about to start eating. She sighed wanting to eat but not wanting him to do some miming next.  
  
"Uh Xena..?" Gabrielle began tentatively then took a bite of the fish for some courage.  
  
Xena looked up and licked her lips then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah?" she asked. "Good job cooking." She said nodding in appreciation.  
  
"Thanks." Gabrielle beamed. "I tried this new spice it's called pepper...and..." Ares gave Gabrielle a look before she started one of her rambles. "And, that's not the point. The point is, you may be wondering why Ares came to see us and why he's still here." Xena nodded taking another bite of fish. Gabrielle put hers down suddenly not having much of an appetite. "Well the thing is.." she began then glanced at Ares and an evil grin formed on her lips. "The thing is that he's having a bit of a... performance problem." She said whispering the last two words.  
  
Ares eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Xena couldn't hold back a snicker, "Performance problems?" she asked glancing at Ares and looking.... just looking.  
  
"With his powers I mean." Gabrielle continued with a bit of a grin. "That's why I was so worried about him blasting that fire earlier. He's also having problems with his other powers like popping out to places, that's why he hasn't um done that." Gabrielle said making it up as she went along. "And some people found out about it and they're hunting him done. He wants you to give him a little protection. If his powers aren't working so well then maybe the whole immortality thing might not be working either. They want to try and take him out, maybe even take over as God of War." She finished up proud of her tale.  
  
"Aw, is wittle Ares scarwed?" Xena asked, in a baby voice. Ares just glared back in response.  
  
"So you'll help him right?" Gabrielle asked, "Because we both know that he's the best person for the job when all those others competed. And we also know that without a God of War there's just chaos from the last time he was mortal." Gabrielle said guilting Xena into agreeing to the job.  
  
"Yes, yes I remember Gabrielle. Of course I'll help." She said, her voice soft and warm as she smiled at Ares. "We don't want wittle Ares to get hurt." She said in a baby voice again then set herself into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Wish I could come along sure sounds fun." Gabrielle says in a mock wistful voice.  
  
Xena looked up from her fish again confused, "What? Why aren't you coming with us?"  
  
"It's my niece's birthday." Gabrielle told Xena like she should have known. "Remember? I told you about this a week ago!" She said sounding annoyed.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember." Xena nodded like she had some idea what Gabrielle was talking about. "Why can't Ares tag along to the celebration?"  
  
"That's just what my niece wants the God of War crashing her party along with a dozen men trying to kill him. That's a great way to celebrate the day of your birth." Gabrielle said sarcastically. Ares had to hid a smile, as much as he hated her Gabrielle was good with these stories... except when she wrote that he was a big wuss. "So I should just get going. Let's say we meet up outside of Potedia in... five days? That should give you plenty of time to figure out what's wrong with Ares and give me time to spend with my family." Gabrielle started cleaning things up from the campsite.  
  
Xena looked over at Ares as she grabbed another fish, "I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out what's wrong with Ares."  
  
"Funny... very funny." Ares said sarcastically but couldn't help smiling knowing that for the next five days Xena was all his. 


End file.
